Creating a universally deduplicatable archive volume

A method for creating a volume that contains data from an original stream of multiple files, and which can be optimally deduplicated by an underlying deduplication storage system. The method comprises receiving data records representing metadata and file data, at least a part of which are already separated, separating the metadata and the file data into a first file and a second file, the first file and the second file being paired, the first file called Metadata Volume containing metadata, header data and references to the file data, and the second file called Aligned Volume containing file data only. A further part of the records which contain both metadata and file data are separated into metadata and file data and then subjected to the step of separating the metadata and the file data into the first file and the second file.